


climb through the briar and bramble

by HannahPelham



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mama bear Hawkeye, TW nightmares and flashbacks, TW references to what could maybe be construed as domestic abuse, also hawkeye being adorable with a baby, i guess, like no descriptions but threats of, most of it is super fluffy and adorable though, post war hawkeye must look after Everyone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29920779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HannahPelham/pseuds/HannahPelham
Summary: “My husband just came back from Korea with a pregnant nurse who is his fiancee and I didn’t know where else to go”A woman turns up on Hawkeye's doorstep with her two month old baby, 3 days after he's arrived home from Korea.TWs in tagsTitle from "Detectorists" by Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit
Relationships: Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	climb through the briar and bramble

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I realise this is not a very popular pairing but oh well, it's super fluffy and probably a bit OOC but honestly I don't care at this point, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Un-betad. We die like men.

Hawkeye had been back in Maine for three days, when it all started. A knock on the door early in the morning wasn’t unusual, or it hadn’t been before he’d gone to Korea. People would turn up at the Pierce home at all times of the day and night requiring medical attention. 

It was an unusual scene, however, when Hawkeye opened the door. He opened it to see a young woman, perhaps a little younger than himself, cradling a small baby in her arms, both crying their eyes out. Hawkeye froze for a moment, knocked for six by the sight of a crying baby, but he soon came around and invited them inside. He led them through to the kitchen, where his father was waiting to see what the commotion was about. Daniel Pierce quickly took the baby from the woman’s arms, and rocked her (he guessed, from the pink bonnet) into quietness. 

The minute the baby was out of her arms, the woman collapsed into Hawkeye’s arms. He couldn’t tell whether it was with exhaustion or relief or shock, but he led her to a chair at the table, and helped her sit down. He quickly poured her both a cup of coffee and glass of water, and sat down next to her. 

She cried quietly to herself for a few minutes, sipping her coffee. Once she calmed down enough to speak, she took a deep breath. 

“My husband just came back from Korea with a pregnant nurse who is his fiancee and I didn’t know where else to go” She said, quietly. 

“We’re glad you came here” Daniel replied, nervously handing the baby to Hawkeye. The minute he was home, Hawkeye told his dad what had happened during the last weeks of the war, so Daniel understood his son’s hesitance to be around a baby, but there didn’t seem to be any. Hawkeye cradled the baby, who couldn’t be more than a couple of months old, in his arms whilst his dad went upstairs to fetch something. 

Hawkeye was nervous to hold a baby, he hadn’t done it very often, and he certainly hadn’t done it since the events of the bus, but as he sat there with this little life in his arms, he felt at peace. By looking after this little baby for a little while, he felt like he was doing a good thing, perhaps making a little bit of peace with the torment in his mind. 

The woman drank her coffee quickly, and then her water, needing the hydration after the amount of crying she’d done. 

The peace of the moment was disturbed by Daniel making his way back down the stairs, and into the kitchen, with a moses basket. Hawkeye guessed it was the one from when he and his younger sister had been babies. It had a pillow and some blankets inside it, and Hawkeye gently laid the baby in it. The baby fell asleep all cuddled up in there, on top of the kitchen table, almost instantly. 

Daniel quietly excused himself, heading to work for the day, and left Hawkeye and the woman to it. 

“My name’s Maud,” the woman said, after a few seconds of silence, “I’ve only lived here three months”

Hawkeye smiled weakly, and gently placed his hand on top of Maud’s, encouraging her to go on. 

“He,” she couldn’t bring herself to say his name “was in Korea when I moved here and when I had Elinor, I was three months pregnant when he left, now he’s back with his nurse he’s engaged to, and she’s five months pregnant”

“I was in Korea too” Hawkeye whispered. He didn’t really know why he told her that at that exact moment, but it made her smile weakly, and that was something. 

“He came home with her early this morning and told me that Elinor and I were no longer wanted and that we needed to move out otherwise we’d face the consequences. I just grabbed Ellie and ran” 

Maud began to cry again, and after filling up her glass of water again, Hawkeye sat back down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder, letting her cry on him. After a minute or so, she carried on with her story. 

“I didn’t know where I was going but I just ended up here, I expect my brain thought a doctor would help” She said, and for the first time Hawkeye noticed her accent. She was English, and now she was alone with her baby, a long long way from home. 

“Two for one on doctors at this particular address, Maud. Stay as long as you need to” Hawkeye replied. Maud smiled, an actual, real, bright smile. She may have been crying a minute before, but Hawkeye decided it was progress. 

“We can?” Maud asked, looking over towards her sleeping daughter. Hawkeye just nodded and smiled. 

A wave of relief came over Maud. She had not expected to be helped so much so quickly. She thought she’d have to find a new house quickly and work out how to divorce her husband and raise Elinor all on her own. Now, it seemed, she wouldn’t be quite so on her own. 

That afternoon, Hawkeye took Maud to collect her belongings. He waited in the car with Elinor, singing a lullaby he half-remembered from when his sister was little, whilst Maud collected anything she wanted. It only took about 10 minutes for her to return with one suitcase. 

“Is that it?” He asked hesitantly as she got back in the car. 

“They’re selling the house and taking everything from inside it to their new home, all I was allowed was mine and Elinor’s clothes” Maud whispered, as the tears started to flow again. Hawkeye drove back to his house slowly, Maud’s tears being mopped up by her daughter’s blanket. 

When they returned to the Pierce home, Elinor was soon fast asleep in the moses basket on the kitchen table. Hawkeye showed Maud to her bedroom, just along from his own. 

“Are you sure this is alright, Hawkeye? I’m worried about Ellie disturbing you or your father” Maud protested as Hawkeye showed her around the house. 

“My dad sleeps like the dead, so don’t worry about him” Hawkeye replied, trying to gloss past anything about himself. 

“And you?”

“I told you I was in Korea, well, as a result of the little police action, I don’t sleep too well anyway, so if Elinor is awake, I probably will be too anyway” 

Maud smiled weakly, understanding. Her father had returned from the Great War and had horrible nightmares, she guessed that Hawkeye was referring to something of the same. 

“Keep the moses basket, I’m afraid we can’t currently provide a crib, after my sister and mother passed away, we gave it away to a family nearby who needed it” Hawkeye almost whispered. Maud didn’t press the subject, but it was clear to her that Hawkeye Pierce had not had an easy life, and that he was a much more complex man than she’d initially thought. 

And so, they settled into a routine. Daniel went to work during the day, and came home to a meal cooked by Maud. He cuddled Elinor as Hawkeye and Maud told him about their days, and it all seemed very normal, very quickly. Hawkeye spent his days out in the garage, Maud assumed tinkering with an old car or something. She spent her days cooking and cleaning and trying to earn her keep. She couldn’t thank the Pierce men enough with words, so she decided to try and do it that way. There was always fresh bread, and a home cooked meal for supper, and coffee in the coffee pot. Despite all of their protests about Maud not needing to earn her keep, so to speak, she couldn’t help it. They had saved her, and helped her when she needed it most, it was the least she could do to repay them, as she couldn’t do it financially. 

Maud was sat out in the garden one afternoon, enjoying the sunshine that late August in Maine provided, Elinor sitting contentedly in her lap, when she heard an exclamation of joy from the garage, swiftly followed by,

“It’s alive!” 

Maud laughed as Hawkeye emerged, with the biggest grin on his face.

“I have a present for you” He said, dipping back into the garage for a moment. When he returned, he was carrying what looked to all the world like a crib. 

“Is that what I think it is?” Maud asked, completely astounded. 

“Well, little Miss Ellie here can’t sleep in that moses basket forever, now can she?” He replied, placing the crib on the lawn in front of the bench. He was worried for a moment when Maud started to cry, but he soon realised they were happy tears. 

In the two short weeks that Maud and Elinor had been staying with them, Hawkeye had started to fall for Maud. He knew he shouldn’t, she was still legally married and had a two and half month old baby, who he absolutely adored. He knew it would be wrong to pursue Maud, so he didn’t. He decided that if his little case of feelings did evolve and develop into a full-blown attack of being in love, he’d do it from afar, adoring her quietly, until she was ready, or until she left. Even if she left, Hawkeye was sure he’d adore her forever anyway. 

Hawkeye noticed little things about Maud. She liked tea much more than she liked coffee, which wasn’t a surprise considering she was English, so Hawkeye started making her a cup of tea in the morning, delivering it to her bedside cabinet for her to wake up to. 

She never said anything about it, but she knew it was him, so she thanked him by making his favourite meals more often.

One night, Hawkeye was wide awake. His nightmares had developed into weapons-grade insomnia, insomnia so bad that had he had it in Korea, he’d never have been able to operate again. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking of nothing in particular, when he heard Elinor stir and start to cry. Since the crib had been built, Hawkeye’s childhood nursery, still relatively girly from his sister’s short but sweet existence, had become Elinor’s. It seemed almost second nature to him to get up, and go and make sure she was alright. Not one solitary thought of the bus crossed his mind as he walked in and picked her up, settling her into his arms. He sat in the rocking chair and rocked gently, calming Elinor. Before he knew it, he was asleep too. 

Maud found them like that a few minutes later, when she had come around enough to realise that Elinor had been crying. She walked into the nursery, and her heart melted when she saw Hawkeye asleep in the rocking chair with an equally asleep Elinor resting on his chest. 

It was moments like this that Maud was grateful that Daniel Pierce had given her an old camera, with which to take baby pictures of Elinor. She quietly grabbed the camera and snapped a couple of pictures, before she left them to it. As she went back to bed, all she could think about was how much she wished that Hawkeye was Elinor’s father, and how fantastic a father he would be one day. 

Hawkeye woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee. It took him a minute to realise that he was, in fact, still in Elinor’s nursery, with the little girl in question curled up on his chest. As he woke up, he realised Maud was sitting on the floor of the nursery, drinking a cup of tea. There was a cup of coffee on top of one of the dressers for him. Hawkeye had absolutely no fear when it came to Elinor. Every time he held her, which he would never admit was as often as possible, all he could think about was how brilliant she was and how much she was growing, and how much she looked like her mother. 

Hawkeye quickly swapped places with Maud so she could nurse Elinor. Before he left the room, he couldn’t quite stop himself from placing a kiss on Maud’s cheek. The second the door shut behind him, Maud’s hand involuntarily went to her cheek, fingers grazing over the spot where Hawkeye had kissed her. 

Hawkeye arrived home from the grocery store a few days later to find the photo of him asleep with Elinor on his chest propped up against a vase of flowers from the garden. His heart sang to see it. He saw it and his brain instantly told him that it was him and his little girl, and it took him a little while to remember that Elinor was not his daughter. He knew he was completely, head over heels in love with Maud, and he knew he would be for a very long time. He had no idea what to do about it, considering Maud’s situation, but he didn’t think he could live without her. 

He did the only thing he could think to do, and he wrote a letter to the only person he could think of that could have experienced love this strong. 

_ Dear Beej, _

_ I’m sorry for not writing before now, but when I tell you why, you will not believe it. I’d been home three days when a woman with a baby turned up sobbing on our doorstep. Her husband had just returned from the police action with a pregnant nurse he was determined to marry. Poor Maud, that’s the woman, and her little baby Elinor, were thrown out with nowhere to go, and she ended up with us. They’ve been here ever since. I’ve hardly had any problems with there being a baby around, Elinor is such a sweet little girl. I built her a crib because she didn’t have one, she sleeps in my old nursery, and Dad is completely charmed. I, on the other hand, am completely charmed by Maud. She’s sorting out her divorce, she’s miles from home (she’s from Cambridge in England, Beej, England!), and I am completely in love with her. She’s utterly perfect and beautiful and the best mother I have ever seen (I have never seen Peg so she doesn’t count) and it’s wonderful. It’s difficult too, who knew being in love with someone was so hard to hide? I’ve not said anything because of everything but god, Beej, she’s perfect.  _

_ If this is how you feel about Peg and Erin, I think I finally get it. Enclosed is a photo of me with Elinor, I guess Maud took it.  _

_ Write back soon, give Peg and Erin love from the Pierces and Maud and Elinor _

_ Your friend _

_ Hawkeye _

A week later, Hawkeye received a reply.

_ Dear Hawk, _

_ I’m glad you have a reason for leaving me in the dust, and boy what a reason. Elinor sounds absolutely adorable, Peg just about melted at the photo of you and her, there’s a similar one of Erin and I somewhere.  _

_ It sounds to me like you’re worried that Maud is perfect and you are not and for that reason it would never work. I agree you shouldn’t do anything until her divorce is done and she seems ready, but don’t worry about being perfect. Peg is absolutely perfect, you know that as well as I do, and you also know that I am very not perfect. It works, you know. Whoever you love, you’ll think they’re perfect and far too good for you. Peg says you shouldn’t stop yourself being happy, especially considering the progress you have made regarding babies with Elinor. Peg is right, by the way, as she so often is. When the time is right, don’t hesitate.  _

_ Love to you and your dad and Maud and Elinor from all of the Hunnicutts _

_ Your friend _

_ Beej _

Hawkeye was almost irritated when BJ was right, but he was. He knew he couldn’t tell Maud that he was in love with her, that would not be a useful thing for him to do, and he wasn’t going to tell her that he had had thoughts about marrying her, but he did decide he was going to hide it a little less. 

For a start, every time he went grocery shopping, he brought back flowers for her. He started to look after Elinor in the night more and more, letting Maud get the sleep she needed. He was awake anyway, so why shouldn’t he help? Besides, he liked spending the time with the little lady, as she had become known. 

As the seasons changed, and summer turned to autumn, he took Maud and Elinor on adventures around Crabapple Cove and the surrounding areas. He wanted it to seem like home, because he never wanted them to leave. 

One day, when Maud was out with Elinor, he repainted the nursery a pale yellow, a colour that Maud had mentioned in passing about wanting for Elinor’s bedroom when she was older. Maud cried with happiness in Hawkeye’s arms when she arrived home and saw it. 

It was 6 months to the day of Maud’s arrival with the Pierces when Daniel drove her to the lawyer’s office so she could sign her divorce papers. Hawkeye offered to stay home with Elinor, and whilst they were out, Hawkeye set about surprising Maud. She’d mentioned a few days earlier that she loved chocolate cake, so he decided to make her one. When she arrived home, and the whole house smelt of baking, Maud knew something was up. She walked into the kitchen and saw Hawkeye, looking every bit the dad he was becoming to Elinor in a shirt and knitted jumper, with Elinor in his lap, looking very pleased with himself. On the table was a beautiful looking chocolate cake. 

“Congratulations on your divorce, Maud” He said quietly, cutting her a slice. She sat down next to him and took Elinor from him. He got up and poured the tea. 

“God, Hawkeye, this is delicious” Maud replied, as a way of thanks, as he handed her a cup of tea. 

“And for my next trick, my dear father here has offered his babysitting services for the evening,” Hawkeye said, smiling widely at his dad, who was making faces to try and make Elinor laugh, “so you and I, Ms Christie, are going out for dinner”

Maud didn’t know why she was so nervous to go for dinner with Hawkeye. They were only going to a quiet little place in Crabapple Cove, but it felt like the most important night of her life. She wore her finest dress, knee length emerald green velvet that complimented her pale skin. It felt like a date. She almost hoped it was. 

In the end, she had nothing to be nervous about. The food was good and the conversation flowed. Hawkeye told her hilarious stories of the 4077th, of BJ and Charles and Margaret and Klinger. It felt good to tell the stories. She told him about her upbringing in rural England, her parents’ farm, and her time studying at Cambridge University. 

As they walked home, it felt only natural for Maud to link her hand with Hawkeye’s. He squeezed her hand gently, to let her know it was ok. She smiled at the ground and blushed as his eyes met hers. 

When they arrived home, both Daniel and Elinor were fast asleep. Hawkeye insisted on being a gentleman, and he walked her to her door. 

“Thank you for this evening, Hawkeye” She whispered, anxious that she didn’t wake Elinor.

“The pleasure was all mine, Maud, believe me” Hawkeye replied. He leant in and kissed her cheek gently, before turning to go into his own room. 

He was surprised to find that he actually slept peacefully for a few hours, but then the nightmare came. He was back in Korea, back in surgery. He called for the next patient, and there was Maud, bleeding out on the table, and he was unable to move, arms stuck fast to his side. She was dying in front of him, and he couldn’t save her. 

He woke up with a start, covered in sweat and terrified. He quietly made his way to the bathroom, once he stopped shaking, to cool himself down with some cold water. When he arrived back at his room, Maud was leaning against the doorframe of his room.

“Are you ok? I heard you shouting for a nurse in your sleep” Maud asked. Hawkeye couldn’t say anything, he simply pulled Maud into his arms and hugged her as hard as he could, making sure she was definitely real and definitely there and definitely ok. 

“You, me, Korea, surgery” He replied, pressing kisses into her hair. His guard was down but he didn’t care. As he pulled away, Maud nodded in understanding and kissed his cheek. She squeezed his hand and made her way back to bed, leaving her door ajar so he’d know she was there, and so he could check on her if he had another nightmare. 

Hawkeye reluctantly went back to sleep, but no second nightmare came. Just pleasant dreams of Maud and Elinor and the future and everything being ok. No Korea, no meatball surgery, just Maud, and happiness. 

The smell of coffee and breakfast woke Hawkeye the next morning. He could hear Elinor and Maud giggling at something in the kitchen. He made his way downstairs, and found Elinor covered in half of her breakfast. Maud smiled widely as she looked over at him.

“There’s coffee in the pot” She said. Hawkeye couldn’t stop himself any longer, he walked over to her and kissed her gently. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t pull away and hit him or tell him he was being a creep or a weirdo. They settled down to their breakfast, Elinor content to play with hers, and said nothing of it. They smiled nervously at each other like they had the night before, and settled into their usual morning routine. 

Hawkeye found himself in the living room after breakfast, sitting on a couch that looked out a window towards the woods and a stream, reading a book. As it was a Saturday, Daniel was looking after Elinor, so Maud was free to do as she pleased. She made her way through the house to join him. She sat down, and almost instantly his arm was around her shoulders. She leant over to kiss him, and she felt him sigh with relief into the kiss. 

“You know you said I could stay as long as I like?” She asked after a few minutes. Hawkeye made a vague noise of agreement, he was far too distracted by what had just happened to be able to use proper words. 

“Can I stay forever?”

Hawkeye didn’t say a word, he just kissed Maud with everything he was worth. 

Three months later, the familiar faces of the 4077th converged on Crabapple Cove for an event most of them never thought they’d see - the wedding of Hawkeye Pierce. 

The Hunnicutts had flown in from California, Margaret from New Jersey, the Potters from Missouri, Radar and his wife Janey from Iowa, and even Charles had driven from Boston for the occasion. 

Maud didn’t carry a bouquet of flowers, she simply held her very nearly one year old daughter in her arms instead, though she and Hawkeye ended up taking turns with her throughout the ceremony. 

Hawkeye was halfway through a very lovely speech about Maud when Elinor decided to upstage him. From her place in his arms, she reached out and grabbed his nose. 

“Dada” She said. Neither Maud nor Hawkeye could believe it. Of all the times for Elinor to choose to say her first word, and for all the first words for her to say, it was one hell of a surprise. Hawkeye had to fight back the tears. 

“That’s right, Ellie, I am your daddy” Hawkeye whispered, as the tears broke free. Maud stood up and kissed his cheek. Hawkeye kissed Ellie’s forehead as he handed her to Maud so he could wipe his tears and continue his speech, though it all seemed utterly futile in that moment. There was no better show of their becoming a family than that. 


End file.
